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As with any reunion, there were hugs, a few rounds of “whatever happened to?” stories shared and a wail of “we looked so young!” as cast and crew from The Big Chill met again in Toronto on a film festival stage to mark 30 years since the film had its world premiere here.

A special addition to opening night festivities of the 38th Toronto International Film Festival Thursday, a packed house at the Princess of Wales Theatre watched a 4K restoration of the film and heard about the making of The Big Chill from the actors and filmmakers who lived it.

“It’s been available in your living room for 30 years but you all came out tonight,” said a beaming Lawrence Kasdan, director and co-writer (with Barbara Benedek) responding to one of several standing ovations.

From grey-haired boomers who have loved the film for three decades to young moviegoers who were seeing it for the first time on the big screen, the audience responded with affection for the film, its makers and stars. Spontaneous applause and loud laughter punctuated the film.

As Kevin Kline walked in to take his seat, there was a huge ovation. Another followed for Glenn Close.

Much has changed for the actors, who were just starting their careers when they made the movie. The same goes for TIFF, which was then the fledgling Festival of Festivals. The movie house where The Big Chill premiered, the University Theatre on Bloor St. W. is an upscale housewares store.

“The film has outlived the theatre,” quipped Wayne Clarkson, then festival director in introducing The Big Chill.

Stars JoBeth Williams, Tom Berenger, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, Close and Kline, as well as producer Marcia Nasatir and Kasdan and shared stories of making the drama about a group of once-close college friends who reunite for a weekend of soul searching — and soul music — after their college buddy Alex commits suicide.

Both Williams, who said she didn’t like her character of frustrated wife and mother Karen “all that much” and Close said they wanted to play Meg. Mary Kay Place had the role of the Atlanta lawyer who is yearning to have a baby and goes for it the old-fashioned way with Kline’s character — and his wife’s blessing.

It was a plot twist Place said was “the craziest durn idea I ever heard of.”

Close said she was quite introverted when she started work on the movie, but the lengthy rehearsal and shooting schedule which saw them all living in South Carolina for long periods, meant there were plenty of spontaneous parties — especially at the house Kline shared with Jeff Goldblum that they dubbed “the G spot.”

Place called The Big Chill “the gift that keeps on giving,” to its fans but she could also be talking about the actors.

“It was an extraordinary experience to have challenging work that also made you laugh and then to have as much fun during the day working as you did at night dancing and playing charades and singing broadway show tunes at a piano at Jeff’s and Kevin’s,” she recalled.

As for the famous cut performance of Kevin Costner, who played Alex, Kasdan said it was his decision to axe the scenes which were to appear at the end of the film as a flashback.

“It didn’t work,” he said.

“I felt so bad about it.”

There were two young Kasdans in the film. Actor-director Jon Kasdan played the little boy in the bathtub in the opening scene singing “Joy To The World” and his older brother, Bad Teacher director, Jake, plays a kid seeking an autograph at the wake. And Place’s brother, Ken, had a small role as a cop.

The Big Chill worked 30 years ago and still resonates today because “it’s about real people,” said producer Nasatir, calling it “wonderfully written brilliantly directed and wonderfully acted and they’re real and they came across as real.”

“We can look back and say that was a very special time,” said Close.

“Sitting here with all these people that I love, it was a great time and you could sit around for ever together and reminisce ... I treasure it and I do think we’re very lucky to be sitting here 30 years later.”

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